Improved folding- chair



, Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massa- Chairs; and Ido hereby declare that the following,

initrd QI-Statief.

aan oma.

Letters Patent N o. 102,180,

elated April 19, 1870.

IMPRovED FOLDING CHAIR.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same To all whom lt may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER W. STEWART, of

chusetts, have invented Improvements in Folding taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description o f my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

My invention relates to details of construction of that class of" folding chairs in which crossing legs or leg-frames and a hinged or pivoted seat are employed, the parts being so arranged and connected that the leg-frame and seat close together or into substantially one plane, while, when the legs are spread, the seat is brought into a horizontal, or nearly horizontal, position, it being so hung and so supported, and so connected with the legs, and the legs of each pair with each other, as to form a ve 'y firm chair.

1n some of these foldin'l chairs the seat is pivoted near its front, and drops down behind when the chair is folded; and in others the seat is pivoted near its rear, and its front drops down when thelegs fold; and it is to this latter kind of chair that my present improvement particularly relates, my invention consisting in a folding chair, having the seat pivoted in front of one leg-frame to the ends o f ears extending therefrom, and the other frame pivoted in front of the first, or the ends of the ears extending from the first frame, and the pivoted frame heilig provided with a stretcher', which extends under and supports the front-of the seat in horizontal position when the chair is open, (said stretcher bringing up against stops or hooks on the under side of the chain) while, when the chair is closed, the seat and the two frames assume parallel planes.

The drawings represent a chair embodyingmy improvements.

A shows a front elevation ofthe open chair;

' B, a side elevation; and

C, a sectional elevation of it.

D is a front view, and

E, a sectional ,view of the folded chair.

a b denote the two standards or legs, and

c d,vtl1e two stretchers of the main frame, to which frame are xed'the ears or bearing-plates, to which the seat and the other set of legs or leg-frame are hung. Y

eV f denote the legs, and

g h, the stretchers, constituting the other frame. i denotes the seat.

Below the seat a bearing-plate or ear, k, is fixed to the outer side of each leg a b, the two ears k extending out in front of the legs, and serving as bearings for pivot-pins on, which enter or project from the legs ef, the frame e f g h turning in these bearings, and assuming, when the chair is open, the position seen at B and C, and when the chair is folded, the position seen at`E.

n a denote two ears or bearings, tistened to the inner sides of the legs or standards a l2, and projecting in front of them, as seen at B, O, and E; and in the front ends of these two hearing-plates the seat-- pins o are pivoted, the pivotal connection enabling the seat to assume, when the chair is open, the horizontal position shown at B and C, and when the chair is folded, the position (parallel to the two frames) shown at-E. A

`The front part of the seat rests upon the stretcher h when the chair is open, and in .the act ,of opening this stretcher raises the seat toits horizontal position. -Under the seat are the hooks or stops 1J, against which theY stretcher h strikes and stops when the legs are opened, the front ot' the chair being prevented from rising too high by the webbing which connects the back ofthe seat to the frame a b c d. When the frames are folded the front of the seatfalls by gravity, dropping in front of the stretcher lt, as seen at E.

It will readilyr be seen that, by connecting the two corresponding legs of each frame by the stretchers, and jointing together the rigid frames thus formed in the manner shown, and the seat to one of the frames as shown, the parts have Agreat freedom of relative movement, both in opening and closing, forming a strong and rigid chair when open, and one very com.- pactly disposed for close packing when the chair is folded.

I claim- The combination of the dropping seat and the folding leg-frames, when the seat tand one of the frames e f g lt are respectively pivoted to the ears or bracket bearings extending from the otherY frame, as shown and described.

Also,` in combination with the above, the bar or stretcher-h of the leg-frame e j' g h, said bar pushing the seat up and supportin g it when the chair is opened, and retreating and letting the seat fall when the chair is folded, as shown and described.

ALEXR. WV. STEWART.

vi tnesses J. B. CROSBY, FRANCIS GoULD. 

